On Tuesday, ESPN’s Mel Kiper dropped his first Mock Draft of the offseason with the release of Mock Draft 1.0. Kiper projected the Arizona Cardinals to select Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. with the No. 4 overall pick. He also projects Harrison to be the first non-quarterback selected.
“He is a guy, you’ll get a difference maker,” Kiper said during a SportsCenter special. “Two years ago, [Ohio State] was in the semifinal game. They were up 38-24 when he was injured, OK? He didn’t play in the fourth quarter. They came back. Georgia did win the game.
“But, if he plays that fourth quarter, Ohio State I think beats Georgia, moves on, and beats TCU and wins the national title. That’s how critical, that’s how vital he was to that Ohio State football team and a great player like his dad.”
Marvin Harrison Jr.’s father played college football at Syracuse before spending 13 seasons in the NFL. He finished his career as an eight-time Pro Bowler, a Super Bowl Champion and an NFL Hall-of-Famer. Kiper believes Harrison Jr. brings the same intangibles his father brought to the game.
“He’s bigger than Marvin Harrison Sr. and [has] the same business-like, workman-like approach. He’s a gamer. He’s a baller, and you will want Marvin Harrison Jr. on your football team,” Kiper said.
Marvin Harrison has the résumé
Harrison’s statistics back Kiper’s lofty claims. He finished his career with 155 catches for 2,613 yards and 31 touchdowns. In program history, he’s sixth all-time in catches and receiving yards and third all-time in receiving touchdowns. Moreover, he did it all with just two seasons as a starter.
Harrison now holds the record for most 100-yard receiving games in program history (15), and he became the first Ohio State wide receiver to ever stack back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons.
Harrison was a unanimous All-American last season and took home Big Ten Wide Receiver of the Year honors twice. He was also named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year this season, becoming just the third wide receiver to win that award.
Kiper’s co-host backed his claims about Harris.
“There’s no weakness. One of the hardest parts about evaluating Big Ten cornerbacks this past year was making sure that the tape [wasn’t of them] covering Marvin Harrison Jr.,” he said. “He’s got outstanding body control. I don’t even care what his [40-yard dash] time is if he does run one during the pre-draft process because he is plenty fast faster than most defensive backs.
“The Arizona Cardinals fell out of that range for the three quarterbacks [that] are likely to be available and avoided the Kyler Murray conversation… This one worked out incredibly seamlessly. Marvin Harrison Jr. is an easy pick at No. 4.”
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